How To Outperform 99% Of People At Work

It’s pretty easy to distinguish yourself from most people in terms of professional and job responsibilities. This is not a bold statement and it does not refer only to people at work, it is an extended reality of life.

And why is it easy to distinguish yourself? Well, because 99% of people (to say the least), never perform at the level of their potential. Most of them are mediocre in what they think and do.

It hurts the “collective psyche” to be described like this: as mediocre. Prefer any other disqualification. But certainly, truths rarely conform to extremes, and that is why there are few wonderful or terrible people. The great protagonist is always mediocrity.

The only advantage of this drama is strategic subtlety: it is quite easy to stand out from the crowd and move, from there, to the extraordinary.

Putting the following into practice can easily set you apart from the others:

Act as if you were the owner of the Business.

99% of the individuals who work in an Organization cannot navigate the space that separates “owners” from collaborators. It is difficult for them to understand that no one works “for others.” Regardless of whether the work is pleasant or recognized, all work is done for oneself.

It’s a matter of mentality. It is enough to admit, first of all, that one works for one’s convenience. The arguments of “necessity” or “I have no other choice” are mental tricks. If you are working on something, that is the only reality you are responsible for addressing. Any other decision corresponds to the future.

If you work because it suits you, then it makes sense to try to optimize your benefits. And this is achieved by exercising ownership over what he does and what happens with his work (“the owner acts with ownership”).

Each worker is a business in himself: he produces and sells something. Assuming this, it is not difficult to put yourself in the position of the business owner and act accordingly.

99% of people at the workplace themselves, at most, are in the position of “collaborators.” This is how they carry out their work. But no matter how much care and responsibility they apply, they never reach those who work as if they were the owners of the business.

Talk less than others and avoid gossiping with people at work.

99% of people at work talk more than they should and are unable to ignore the gossip. As absurd as it may seem, the mere fact of avoiding this makes you a diamond among coals.

The work dynamic tends to generate rumors and gossip. It is difficult to live together for long periods and avoid them. And this is the origin of most work problems.

In these situations, the Yellow Penguin acts as always: favors simple solutions and practical paths. In the end, this is what Strategy is all about. And few remedies are more effective in avoiding problems at work than talking little and avoiding gossip.

This not only establishes differences in the work context, it also defines what a genuine professional is in essence.

Say NO to all the meetings you can avoid.

Avoid as many as possible. Almost all meetings are ineffective in the ratio of time used/results achieved.

Personal contact is indeed the most valuable factor in sustaining collective productivity, but for the same reason, it cannot be worn down by abuse.

You won’t always be in a position to deny attendance at meetings, but by exercising what little power you have in this regard, you can differentiate yourself from 99% of the people at work.

This means you should also avoid informal and social gatherings that take place outside of work hours. This is not about being an anchorite, but if you look carefully, you will see that most meetings have mediocre dynamics and results.

The criteria with which gold is evaluated must be applied to meetings: the rarer, the more valuable.

Don’t stop self-educating and learning after your work hours.

99% of people who work don’t do it. This is particularly dramatic in the case of jobs, but it also exists in other types of work.

Robert Greene, the prolific writer of “The 48 Laws of Power,” frequently speaks of the “living time” and “dead time” that people enjoy. The first is activated when doing something for the objectives one has, the productivity and quality of life one seeks, while the second constitutes a simple “waste of time.”

Everyone has the same time at a certain moment and circumstance, but each person defines whether they convert it into “living time” or “dead time.” Whether you do something productive with it or just do nothing.

Educating yourself, learning, updating, and developing are the best investments of “living time”. Few pay better. Each of them allows you to become a great asset (from a financial point of view), a person with the ability to positively monetize your talents.

Stop using “buzzwords” with people at work.

Organizations continue to be systems that try to close and self-reference. In this way, they seek to build identity and a sense of belonging. And there is nothing wrong with that.

However, the mistake that 99% of people make at work is unconsciously adding to “the herd.” Because organizational culture is one thing to ascribe, even, the use of certain terms is another.

Some words are just acronyms or codes. No one can understand them outside the circle in which they are conceived and used. Its functionality is quite poor. They just want people to “get” a concept or logic before understanding it.

The existence of words that become fashionable because the owner or boss uses them frequently does not overcome the effectiveness of simple words and colloquial arguments.

Simple language = Powerful communication.

Induction or indoctrination does not mean alienation. It is useful to share the creed and organizational codes, but as long as one loses essence and identity as a person, little help is provided to the evolution of the system. This acquires, at most, the vigor of a large volume of stagnant water that deteriorates over time.

For organizations to flow and have the vigor of freshwater currents, they must have people who avoid the impersonal aggregation and comfort of “herds.”

People must understand and respect the culture of the Organization, but they don’t need to make it “their culture.”

Do things beyond what your title indicates.

Whether this title is that of your profession or the position you hold, always do more than what you stipulate!

99% of people at work limit themselves, in some cases out of comfort and in others out of ignorance. And there is no more serious way to limit yourself than to do “strictly” what you are supposed to do… and nothing more.

Spread the tent, watch and learn what others are doing, explore, and be curious. And finally do something that you are not obligated to do. Do it simply because you want to and can. Possibly no one will pay you that extra mile today, but destiny has guaranteed it.

It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary or anything that distracts you from your responsibilities. It does not need to invade any area or affect other competencies. You simply have to be someone willing to do more than your share.

Only for this reason does it enter the group of that 1%, which is not necessarily different because it is extraordinary, but rather because it contrasts with those who are “too equal.”

Do more for the client than the rest of the people at work.

Many companies serve themselves, not the customer.

Leaders tend to make decisions about things that affect the customer even if they are very far away from them. Tragic.

In reality, people who serve clients, not departments, bosses, or their agendas, are the ones who perform the best. The client ultimately decides the success of the Organization, and by helping them you help your career.

Contra – intuitive… but true.

Overcome rejection to the point of feeling comfortable with it.

Learn to collect the “no” that life throws at you.

There are very important teachings behind every NO that occurs in the personal or professional journey. Lessons that do not provide success or victories. The most valuable experiences are not found in YES, but rather in denials, no matter how frustrating or painful they may be.

Career games are won by those who are willing to be rejected more than “normal.”

Entrepreneurs seem crazy when they introduce new ideas into the world. However, they are in that position only until their ideas no longer sound so crazy and are adopted.

Getting promotions or promotions also involves a lot of denial. Few are obtained upon the first request. Changing jobs is equally difficult. Due to the nature of hiring processes, many rejections have to be faced before capitalizing on an opportunity.

Rejection is the way.

If you can perform well in it, you will have access to the best opportunities. All it takes is to possess a winning mentality.

Finally, only a winning mentality can allow the mediocrity that dominates the world of work to be transcended.